The invention relates in general to munitions and in particular to countermeasures for rocket propelled grenades (RPG).
Rocket propelled grenades, used by enemy forces, pose a serious threat to U.S. military vehicles and personnel. Heavily armored vehicles, such as the Abrams tank and the Bradley Fighting Vehicle, are equipped with advanced armors to defeat the RPG's shaped charge warhead. Most other military vehicles, however, cannot survive a direct hit from an RPG.
An existing approach to defeating RPG's approaching these other vehicles requires adding bulky special armor packages to the exterior of the vehicle. This additional armor is heavy and voluminous and consequently limits the transportability and maneuverability of the protected vehicle. Also, such armor engages the incoming RPG very close to the exterior of the vehicle where the RPG may still cause significant damage to the vehicle, its' occupants, and adjacent personnel.
Another existing approach to defeating incoming RPG's involves the use of an active protection system (APS) with explosive counter munitions. The main disadvantages of such a system are the precise timing required for achieving a successful intercept, and the possibility of the explosive counter munitions causing damage to the protected vehicle and personnel. The present invention provides a simple countermeasure to defeat incoming RPG's that overcomes the drawbacks of existing systems.
The invention will be better understood, and further objects, features, and advantages thereof will become more apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.